The Ferocious Rabbit Devours Flesh ~Survival of the Fittest at a School in a Chastity-Reversed World~ - 22

Chapter 22: A Dramatic Scene

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The first event, the Partner Selection Game, began. I had to choose one partner from among the female students in the gymnasium and have the others vote for us. According to the information I had received beforehand from Shinozaki-senpai, the female students in the front rows had the best grades.

Looking around, I saw everyone leaning forward in their seats, trying to appeal to us without standing up. While I was wondering what to do, I heard the sound of someone standing up nearby. Looking over, I saw one male student on his feet, pointing toward the gallery.

“I, Ao Kitahara, nominate Inori Shirakami-senpai of the 2nd-year S-class as my partner.”

The moment he made that declaration, the venue erupted in excitement. The female student in the gallery who had been pointed at exchanged a few words with the girl next to her, and then, without changing her expression at all, she began to move down from the gallery.

Several other male students also stood up and walked over to the seats where the girls were sitting, nominating them directly by saying things like, “Please come with me.” It was likely a performance intended to gather votes. However, cheers rose as the male students approached, making it clear that the tactic was effective.

That said, about three students remained seated without nominating anyone. They had probably given up on the rewards and would settle for a partner chosen at random by the school. I had to decide on a partner soon, too. Though the rewards were random, I really wanted “A,” the one-month extension of the protection period.

If that were the case, would I have to nominate an S-class student to match or exceed the impact of the attention-grabbing nomination I just witnessed? I looked toward the gallery. There were about five students there. My eyes met with one of the female students among them.

She had beautiful, long golden hair and eyes that looked like they possessed a strong will. She had her arms crossed, which emphasized her two ample mounds. She wore a composed expression, though I couldn’t tell if it was a provocation or a temptation as if she were saying, “Why don’t you try choosing me?”

If it was for the sake of winning, choosing her might not be a bad idea. I didn’t know her name, but I could probably manage if I just pointed and nominated her. I stood up from my seat, and just as I was about to point, I felt a gaze from behind. The male students in the center of the gym were supposed to be drawing gazes from all the female students around them, but for some reason, I felt this particular gaze very strongly.

I turned around. While the surrounding female students were leaning forward and shouting as they looked at me, there was one girl sitting perfectly upright, staring straight at me with serious eyes. She was so different from everyone else that a small laugh escaped my lips. I began walking toward that female student.

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I was watching from up in the gallery when my eyes met with a certain male student. Those eyes did not shrink away even though they were looking at me—a woman—and what’s more, he was looking at me with a calculating gaze. In all my life, I had never been looked at by a man with eyes like those.

Intriguing.

I stared back at the man intently. The man didn’t flinch. However, the moment he stood up and was about to point at me, his body stopped. Then, he turned around, and after a short while, he walked away.

“It seems you’ve been rejected.”

I replied while shrugging my shoulders.

“It would appear so.”

The female student next to me spoke up. It was the Student Council President, Megumi Hojo-sama. She was also in the gallery as an S-class student who owned male students, watching the New Male Rec. The male student I had been making eye contact with reached a certain female student and stood there silently looking at her.

“As usual, she has that expression like she’s completely composed.”

She was likely referring to the female student who was staring back at the male student. However, I didn’t think so.

“No, I’ve never seen that face before. It’s the first time I’ve seen her with such a serious expression.”

It was a difference in expression that I understood precisely because I had challenged her many times and lost many times. I thought she had no interest in men, but apparently, that wasn’t the case.

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Having been nominated, I came down from the gallery and reached the stage. The male student who had nominated me, calling himself Ao Kitahara, was there. Instructed by the teacher, I stood beside him.

“Um, Shirakami-senpai… I look forward to working with you.”

Ao Kitahara spoke to me with a small bow.

“Yes, I look forward to it too. By the way, may I ask you one thing?”

“…What is it?”

He questioned me with a suspicious look.

“Are you a follower of the Light of Shirakami?”

“N-No, I’m not…”

“I see.”

The conversation ended on an awkward note. I was never very good at conversation to begin with.

I suppose a conversation with a male student is just like this.

As I watched for a while, one pair after another that had been formed ascended the stage. While I was observing them, Ao Kitahara, who was beside me, spoke up with a look of determination.

“Um, Shirakami-senpai. I want to aim for first place in every event. Would you mind cooperating with me?”

He actually said something like that.

“Fine by me. I want the points from the first-place reward anyway.”

Apparently, the first-place rewards for male students were different from those for female students. I heard the rewards were the same every year, but I hadn’t researched them much. Satisfied with this answer, Ao Kitahara let out a sigh of relief.

Ignoring him, I looked out at the venue and realized that the previous clamor had completely vanished, and the gymnasium had fallen silent. I scanned the gym to find the cause of that silence and saw it was because one male student had stopped in front of the female students’ seats—specifically, in front of one particular girl—and they were staring at each other. That male student dropped to one knee and offered his hand to the girl he was staring at. The girl took the male student’s hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world. At that moment, the venue erupted in the loudest cheer of the day.

“I’m sorry, please let me take back what I just said.”

“Eh?”

Ao Kitahara was confused. That was only natural. He had only just enrolled and didn’t know about her.

“Let’s aim for second place. First place is likely impossible.”

“Eh?… But we won’t know unless we try…”

“That female student holding hands over there is a ‘monster’ who has scored perfect marks on every test, taken first place in every competition she’s entered, and won every match since this school opened.”

That monster was holding hands with a male student. She was looking toward us on the stage with the same composed eyes as always.

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I reached the spot in front of the female student who had been sending me her gaze. I stood right in front of her. She was looking at me with a steady stare. The surrounding female students were saying all sorts of things, but I didn’t care at all. Even when called out to, I didn’t turn that way. I just kept looking at her.

I simply felt comfortable in this moment of gazing at one another. Perhaps noticing the situation, the surroundings gradually grew quiet. I wonder how long we had been staring at each other.

“One minute remaining,” I heard the announcer’s voice say. I was reluctant to end this time spent looking at her, but I had to finish it. I might as well make an effort to take first place in everything. The female student would likely want the first-place reward as well.

Like a scene from a drama, I dropped to one knee and offered my palm. And then…

“Would you come with me?”

I spoke to her while looking into her eyes. I felt like she looked happy, if only for a fleeting moment.

“With pleasure.”

Saying that, Mirei Mikado took my hand. At that moment, the gymnasium was enveloped in a massive cheer.

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